Solitary Confinement
by DarkLightningEnvy
Summary: She ruined her life, but she couldn't let them have her. She didn't care if being Sheriff didn't matter now; she'd make it matter. Swan Queen.
1. One

"You realize being sheriff means nothing to them now?"

Emma Swan's eyes slowly moved from the window inside of the police station to settle on the prisoner locked in her cell. Regina Mills was calm, though her eyes held a different emotion entirely. Emma wished she could place it.

"They're still here," Emma said mindlessly. "They haven't gone back. They're still in my territory."

"You're territory?" Regina asked incredulously, bracing her palms against the bars that trapped her. "You mean my territory. Their territory. You're just as bad as I, in their eyes, if you don't open that door."

Emma glanced back out the window at the gathering crowd, all screaming for Regina's blood. Literally. The various renditions of "Burn the witch!" and "Bleed the wicked Queen!" had done something to Emma's state of mind, and all she wanted was for them to leave until she got her head straight and figured out what she was going to do.

So the curse had been real. So Emma really was Snow White's daughter. So Regina really was the Evil Queen.

So what?

"Where's Henry?"

It took Emma a moment to realize Regina had changed the subject. When she did, the blonde stepped away from the window, moving to sit in a chair several feet away from the cell. This was getting too complicated. Emma thought she preferred the first few hours of this, when Regina sat silently, closed within herself and the memory of her actions. Anything but this interrogation.

"The hospital's keeping him for a while," Emma replied, her throat going dry at the thought. "Making sure the poison didn't leave any aftereffects."

Regina's eyes filled with pain, and Emma wanted to slap it into nonexistence. "Don't you dare look at me like you're sorry."

"I'm not sorry for you," Regina snapped immediately. Her tone of voice was harsh, but the look on her face hadn't changed. "I'm beyond caring if you believe me or not, Miss Swan."

"You don't care about him."

Regina practically threw herself against the bars, a wild look in her eyes. "I do!"

"Enough to poison him."

"It was meant for you! I told you it was meant for you!"

"Are you fucking blind?" Emma exclaimed, slamming the flat of her hand down on the wooden arm of her chair. "You hurt me, you hurt Henry! The kid is ten years old, and he went out of his way to find me and bring me here! You want on his side? You accept that I'm in his life. You don't try to push me out of it."

Silence followed this outburst. Regina stood slumped against the cell bars, her eyes averted to the floor. She appeared to be hyperventilating; upon closer inspection, Emma realized she was trying not to cry. Regina loved Henry. Emma was loathed to admit it, but she couldn't ignore something staring her right in the face. Emma just couldn't stand the way she chose to go about expressing that love.

"I just want him to be mine," Regina whispered, so softly that Emma didn't catch it right away.

"It doesn't matter anymore," Emma replied after a few moments. "You can't stay in this world. Not if you intend on living."

"I won't leave without him," Regina mumbled, pushing off of the bars and dropping onto the small cot bed. "Or you."

Emma's head snapped up from where her eyes had been studying her knee. "What?" she asked, thrown off guard. Even Regina looked surprised, like she hadn't even realized she'd said it until it came out of her mouth. Despite this, she didn't try to cover herself.

"He loves you," Regina said. "You're there for him. For us. I can't separate you two now. It would kill him."

"Yet you tried to poison me with a cursed apple turnover," Emma deadpanned, earning her a signature Regina-glare. "Well, you did. You think it would have been any easier on the kid had I died?"

"It is easier to move on with knowledge of the impossibility of seeing someone again, than it is knowing they are still out there somewhere."

Emma's eyes narrowed. "Right."

Regina wasn't telling Emma something. Did this have anything to do with why the Queen had made this world in the first place? Emma wouldn't put it past her. Hell, she wouldn't put anything past Regina right now. When it came down to it, though, there was nothing she could do. She was locked in a cage, Emma's last hope of keeping the woman out of the hands of a bunch of enraged fairytale characters that were more real than she could have ever imagined.

They sat in silence for almost an hour, neither looking at each other. Emma knew she should have been trying to come up with some kind of plan, but her brain just wasn't accepting any of this. All she could think to do was to send Regina back wherever she came from, but it would require magic. A lot of magic, according to Regina, and apparently there was none left. What else could they do? What else could Emma do?

Emma didn't notice Regina lift her head and watch her for several long moments. When she spoke, her voice startled Emma. "Why are you protecting me?"

Emma's eyes snapped to the woman, and for the first time in several hours, she got a good look at her. Regina had stripped her blazer off and tossed it on the other side of the cot, leaving her in a short sleeved white button up blouse and a black skirt that climbed above her knees in a sitting position. Her hair was tousled, a stark difference from the usual perfection it was usually placed in, and her makeup was smudged down her face. Damn, she looked so human. Emma hadn't been entirely sure that was even possible until now.

"I don't care what you've done," Emma said finally. "I won't let them turn themselves into monsters just to get rid of you."

Regina's eyes flashed with something akin to disbelief. She could see right through that one, Emma was sure. But she wasn't going to say it out loud. Though she couldn't see either of them getting any satisfaction in this situation, she wasn't going to risk it.

"Just let them in, Miss Swan. Get it over with."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so."

Regina huffed and rolled her eyes. "That is not a reasonable answer."

"I don't care what you think a reasonable answer is," Emma replied, getting out of the chair and pacing towards the window again. "No one's coming in, and you aren't leaving, until I figure out what to do."

A heavy sigh sounded from behind her. "Come here."

Emma didn't move.

"Emma…"

Emma's head turned for a moment, not quite meeting Regina's gaze, before she turned and slowly walked over to the cell. She focused her attention on one of the bars, her eyebrows drawn into such a tight frown, her face hurt.

"Look at me."

No.

"Emma, look at me."

Regina, no.

Regina's hand slid through the bars and grasped Emma's chin, pulling her head up until Emma's eyes met her own. The absolute surrender in Emma's gaze seemed to throw Regina off a bit, but she held the look, her grip on the Sheriff's chin firm.

"You already played Storybrooke's hero, Miss Swan. You weren't meant to play mine. Whatever happens to me, I want you to swear you'll take care of Henry. Don't abandon him, Emma. Not again."

Tears streamed out of Emma's eyes before she could stop them, and her hand came up to grasp the wrist of the hand holding her chin. "I promise," she choked out. "I promise, Regina."

They both knew Emma couldn't keep Regina hidden forever.


	2. Two

The blonde savior had slunk to the floor next to the jail cell almost an hour ago, tired and defeated from the unexpected tears that had flowed from her system. Her eyes stared blankly at the door on the other side of the room, willing it to burst open with the effort of the townspeople. She was out of options. Emma had run over everything she possibly could in her head, but nothing made sense. And the few good ideas she'd thought she had, Regina shot down harder than a faulty aircraft. The sun was setting, and the savior was completely at a loss.

"They're going to win, aren't they?" Emma whispered, her voice hoarse from her previous tears. Her throat was rough and scratchy, bringing on the urge to cough that she only just barely managed to contain. Neither of them had eaten or drank anything in almost twenty four hours. The hunger pains were getting nauseating.

"I've been trying to tell you that for sixteen hours, Miss Swan," Regina muttered back from where she had lain on the cot within the cell. Emma turned her head against the wall to look at the woman, unconsciously studying the way one leg draped over the other, her stocking-clad foot hanging loosely off of the cot. One arm was tucked under her head, the other draped over her abdomen. For the difficult position Regina was in, she sure looked content. Emma would have been jealous, had she been able to register emotion.

"How can you be so relaxed?" Emma asked, her voice still rough. Half of a smirk pulled at Regina's lips as she turned her head; just barely, but enough to put Emma in her line of sight.

"I accepted my fate the night you came to Storybrooke," Regina said simply.

This made Emma wince. "Its not like I intended to ruin everyone's plans," she said, turning her gaze away to look at the door again. The sun was nearly set.

"Well, you did," Regina replied, making Emma wince again. Regina continued. "Cut the innocence, Miss Swan."

Emma glared at her again. "I never said I was innocent. But do you really think I meant for any of this to happen? I never believed any of it. And now I'm Snow White's daughter. I'm a fucking fairytale princess protecting the Evil Queen, and I'm _not _okay with that!"

Her voice had risen to the level of an outburst. Regina was looking at her strangely, a look that Emma didn't want to define as pride. What the hell could she possibly be proud of? The only thing she had accomplished was successfully barricading them in a building that could easily come down at any direct force.

"But you're accepting it," Regina finally said, rolling onto her side and propping herself up on her elbow. "You may as well quit trying to hide. The only place that is going to get you is dead."

Emma remained silent. If she had to choose a word for what her brain was doing, she wouldn't have chosen 'accepting.' 'Mass hysteria' may have been more appropriate. Or just flat out state of shock. Either way, Emma knew for a fact that everything happening wasn't going to fully sink in until she was so far in the middle, she couldn't get out again.

Sighing softly, Emma braced her palms on the wall and pushed herself up, her brow furrowing at the effort it took to get herself to her feet. Once she was steady, she straightened her shirt over the top of her pants, glancing around the moderately sized room. Regina's voice distracted her.

"You need to eat."

Emma turned her head, eying Regina closely for a moment. The brunette had sat up on the cot, and now rested with one leg over the other. "So do you."

An amused look crossed Regina's features, and she lifted one hand in gesture, indicating her surroundings. "I believe I would have done so by now, if not for my unfortunate living arrangement."

Silence followed as Emma pursed her lips in thought. She supposed it was probably time to admit that this plan hadn't been that well thought out. But what was she supposed to have done, holed them up in the nearest McDonald's? Emma wasn't even sure one of those existed in Storybrooke. And, even if it did, what good would that have done? People would have gotten in and hold of both of them much quicker that way.

Circling around her desk, Emma dropped into her chair and sighed, leaning her head back. She just needed to think. A few minutes of silence, and it would come to her, and Emma would know exactly what to do in order to make their situation a little easier on both of them…

A loud clang, followed by a loud shout roused Emma from the half sleep she had fallen into. When the hell had her eyes closed? Jerking up, Emma's eyes snapped to the cell, only to find it empty. It took a moment to register, but another shout got her attention, and Emma leapt out of the chair, spinning towards the door. Regina had exited the police station and was standing in front of the door, looking every bit as battle ready as a soldier stepping onto the front line. And people were rushing at her like lightning.

"Shit!" Emma snarled, scampering towards the door at a speed she wasn't aware she had in her. Flinging it open, she grabbed Regina's shoulder, yanking her backwards and slamming the door shut. Regina jerked, but Emma had a firm grip; she used it to her advantage and threw Regina against the nearest wall, advancing on her. The rage in her eyes caused the mayor to blink.

"Are you out of your fucking mind!" Emma yelled in Regina's face, coming close enough to her that the woman would be able to feel the rage shaking through her skin. "There's a fucking reason I kept you in there, Regina! If you have a death wish, just tell me now, and you can walk out that door a dead woman!"

Regina's hand came up suddenly, her fingers stroking over Emma's cheekbone almost absently. Emma blinked, her eyes focusing on the Queen; she didn't necessarily look soft, but she didn't look angry or uptight, either. Regina was looking at Emma with something akin to civility, something that blew Emma right out of the water.

Holy crap, they were being civil. The world hadn't caved in yet, and nothing had exploded. While Emma doubted it would last long, she figured she may as well take advantage of this while she still could.

"Please get back in the cell."

Regina's fingers stopped their path, and she tilted her head slightly, a soft sigh escaping her barely parted lips. "You can't keep me in here forever, Miss Swan."

A glimmer of determination crept into Emma's gaze. "Watch me."

Regina snorted in amusement, tracing her hand backwards into Emma's hair, moving the strands out of the blonde's face. A loud pound on the front door startled them both, causing them both to jerk their heads around. Snow was standing on the other side, her eyes alight with fire.

"Looks like Mommy Dearest doesn't like it when I touch her little girl," Regina drawled, her own expression hardening back into its usual mask of commanding irritation. Emma opened her mouth to say something, but before she even got the sound out of her mouth, Regina had yanked her by her hair, slamming their lips together. Emma froze, caught off guard; Regina was kissing her? What the hell was going on here?

But then something in Emma's stomach lit on fire, and she suddenly didn't care. Her lips parted beneath the Queen's, drawing a subtle moan from the woman at the sign of surrender. Emma couldn't believe she'd even heard that, and decided very quickly that she wanted to hear it again. Before she could get her tongue onto Regina's bottom lip, Regina had beaten her to the punch, tracing the tip along the inner lining of her lips. It was Emma who moaned this time, one hand shooting to Regina's upper arm, her fingers tightly gripping the edge of the mid-sleeve the mayor wore.

Another loud pounding came from the door, and Regina broke away. Disappointed, Emma unconsciously leaned in for more. This earned a devious chuckle from Regina.

"Patience, Princess," Regina muttered, her lips close to Emma's ear. "We don't want to make mother mad."

"You didn't seem to care about that two seconds ago," Emma groaned before she could stop herself. Regina chuckled again, and Emma made a conscious effort to step away, releasing Regina's arm. "Get back in the cell. I'm letting her in."

Regina's brow went up. "Ah, yes, because I desire being trapped when Snow White decides she's had enough of me."

Emma sighed. "Regina - "

"Lucky for you, Miss Swan, I'm in no mood for arguments," Regina interrupted, turning and heading back across the room. She closed herself safely in the cell, sitting on the edge of the cot and folding her arms.

Emma blinked. That was easy. Shaking her head, she turned, twisting the lock on the door and pulling it partway open. "If I let you in here, you have to promise to leave her alone."

Snow looked at Emma incredulously. "After all she's –"

"Mary Margaret," Emma said sharply, then caught herself. "…Snow. I'm serious. Leave her alone."

Snow sighed, then nodded. "I promise."

Emma opened the door, allowing Snow entrance. As she passed through the doorway, Snow said, "Shut the door quickly, there are many out there plotting ways to break in."

Emma sighed, shutting the door and locking it. In all honesty, she was surprised they hadn't done so already. When she turned around, she found Snow and Regina staring at each other silently, both with crossed arms. The look on Regina's face didn't sit well with Emma. Moving to get Snow's attention, she nodded her head sideways towards the office. "Can we talk in there?"

Snow stared at Regina for several more moments in silence, then nodded. "Of course," she said, turning and following Emma into the office. Leaning against the lone desk, Emma folded her own arms, watching as Snow glanced around.

"Its ugly out there," Snow said finally. "People think you're on her side."

Emma lifted shoulder in a faint shrug. "I guess I kind of am, right?"

Snow looked at her for several moments. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"You know what."

Sighing, Emma shook her head. "I don't know, Mary Ma—Snow. Something just tells me that if something happens to her, Henry's in trouble. I think she's the only thing keeping him safe."

Snow nodded slowly, glancing out the office window towards Regina. When she looked back at Emma, there was a glint in her eye she couldn't read. "That was some kiss."

Emma blushed furiously, shifting against the desk. "That…um…"

"You don't have to explain. Its been obvious for a while now."

Emma glanced up. "What has?"

"You two have been looking at each other a certain way for quite a while now. I was wondering when it was going to happen, honestly."

It was like something exploded in Emma's head. Her ears rang, and her skin heated up in embarrassment. Was this what it felt like to have a meltdown? Because she was pretty sure she was in the middle of one.

"I really don't know what you're talking about," Emma said sharply. "I mean, yeah, she's pretty, but we can't stand each other."

Snow laughed softly, shaking her head. "Oh, Emma…don't you realize that makes the best chemistry?"

A small smile formed on Emma's lips, though it was more absent than anything. She supposed her and Regina did have chemistry. There was definitely a lot of eye fucking, that was for sure. Yeah, Emma had pictured the Queen in some not-so-appropriate ways, but she was attracted to women similar to her. Not specifically her, though.

Right?

"Emma," Snow said suddenly, and Emma jerked out of her train of thought. "Have you eaten?"

Emma shook her head. "Haven't been out of here."

Sighing, Snow backed towards the door. "I'll be back."

"Mom?"

Snow paused, clearly shocked that she was finally being addressed as her proper title. She raised a brow in question.

"Will you please get her something, too?"

Snow looked out to where Emma had nodded at Regina, sighing again. With a silent nod, she left the office, disappearing out the door.


End file.
